


A Dark Fall

by Nebbles



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Other, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 07:43:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14666502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebbles/pseuds/Nebbles
Summary: He knew this moment would come.Garon had always told him the price for failure was death.





	A Dark Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by a Reverse Fates AU a dear friend of mine came up with, where the siblings switch what kingdoms they reside in. It's something she holds close to her heart, so I hope I did her AU justice with what I've written.

When Corrin’s Yato is pointed in his direction, Leo’s almost tempted to drive the blade in himself. He closes his eyes, ready to accept his fate -- one much earned, too, he thinks. He’d always been a pitiful fighter, an embarrassment to Garon, and the rest of his family. He couldn’t even defend Hoshido in its hour of need. What sort of prince was he to beg for his life? His fingers twitch in the dirt, trying to ignore the urge to pull the blade forward. The air of the forest begins to feel stale in his lungs. 

“I’m not going to kill you, Leo…” Corrin’s voice is so full of pity and it disgusts Leo to the core. Just drive the blade through, he wants to say. Just kill me already. “I can’t. Just surrender, and we can go to the Rainbow Sage in peace. O-Okay?”

Corrin sounds like a child, voice trembling, sadness dripping in their tone. The eyes of Corrin’s family, this fake one that claims them as their own, all bore down on him. It’s as though he’s some sort of spectacle to be looked at, to laugh at, to spit on. In the recesses of his mind, he hears mocking that worms under his skin and latches onto his nerves. It’s the same voices that he’s carried with him since childhood.

“You have every right to take my life. You bested me in combat. Kill me, and move on.” Leo focuses on the tip of the Yato instead of Corrin. So close. 

“Leo, I can’t. You’re still my brother. I wouldn’t feel right taking your life…” Corrin lowers their sword, and Leo decides to focus elsewhere. “I just want to end this war without any more bloodshed.”

“Wars like that don’t exist. If they did, I wouldn’t be in this situation, would I?” Leo’s so tired of everything. All he can remember is conflict. From childhood, he was taught to climb for a throne he didn’t care for. Groomed for perfection, groomed for glory, groomed to bleed dry anyone who dare would oppose him. The throne disgusts him, and he’s unsure if those feelings stretch to the one sitting on it.

The one on the throne thinks he’s a waste, anyway, so perhaps he should think ill of the king. There’s just so much to be disgusted by, and it all seems to direct back to himself. He was never worthy of the throne, and perhaps it was just a game to everyone that he had to fight for it. Perhaps he shouldn’t have survived the concubine wars, and perhaps he should’ve died along with his mother.

“Even if others have to die… I don’t want you to be a part of the dead, Leo, I…” Corrin kneels down now and offers out a hand. “Once we get rid of fath-- Garon, everything will be fine. You and everyone else can live happily in Hoshido.”

A happy ending for this war was a false hope, and Leo assumes all of the divinations in the world from Xander would tell him that bloodshed was inevitable. Lives would be lost, blood would spill, and a family would be torn apart to nearly irreparable means. Leo always had a feeling that family would be his; he didn’t know why, really. 

“Corrin, I’ve brought shame to my country. I have no reason to go home. I would never be welcome…” Was he ever, though? 

“B-but! Wouldn’t Xander and the others be happy to have you back? They’d be so sad to see you gone…” Corrin pleads and leans in further, hand still outstretched. 

“All they would see is the corpse of a failure. And that’s… just what I am.” Leo pushes Corrin’s hand away. “I always have been.”

“Leo, that’s…” Corrin’s voice quiets as they sadly stare at Leo. There’s sadness in their voice, mixed with regret, never knowing that Leo had ever felt so poorly about himself. “I’m sure if you went home, everyone would tell you that’s not true.”

Leo shakes his head. This argument would run in circles until one of them gave in. Hearing Corrin beg and plead that no, he’s great, really, and his family loves him and he’s so appreciated and loved and wanted collides against everything he’s ever known. 

“I’m sorry, Corrin. I can’t go home.”

Leo draws his sword from his scabbard, eyes glazing over the fine steel. It’s a well crafted blade, perhaps the greatest gift his family ever bestowed on him. It shines brilliantly, much more brilliantly than he would ever shine himself. This sword would be better in someone else’s hands, and he’s ready for it to be gifted to another. 

Leo directs the sword at himself, and Corrin’s body doesn’t react fast enough as it pierces his stomach.

Corrin screams in horror as blood oozes from Leo’s mouth, as his eyes clench in pain as he doubles over. Leo doesn’t scream or utter a sound, and drives the blade in deeper. He manages a wheeze as he coughs out blood. Time feels frozen over as his body finally slumps forward, hands still wrapped around the hilt of the blade. 

Corrin’s own cries are met by Odin’s, who is scrambling over to his lord, shaking his body, begging him to wake up. Leo’s body just lies there in his arms, no matter how much Odin cries and cries for his eyes to open. Niles, in his anguish, draws his shuriken and directs it towards Corrin.

“I’m giving you one minute to leave, or I’ll pin your body to every tree in this forest.” His words are full of malice and pain. 

“I-I… b-but, please, I… let me…” Corrin trips over their words, wiping away tears at a frantic rate. “I didn’t know this would happen! I-I didn’t want Leo to die!”

“I don’t care what you want right now. All I know is that you just made me watch someone end their own life. Either move on to your stupid sage, or die in this forest with him.” His hands don’t shake. Despite his hurt, he’s able to keep himself in check.

“...I’m sorry…” Corrin can still hear Odin weeping over Leo’s corpse. The sound wires itself onto Corrin’s mind, and they don’t know if they’ll ever be unable to hear it.

“Just go. Save your apologies. I don’t want to hear them,” he readies himself to throw his weapon, “don’t make me repeat myself. Get. Out.”

Corrin wants to protest, but feels themselves get pulled back by Ryoma, who looks at them sadly. His dislike of the enemy isn’t enough to deter him from feeling the sadness of witnessing one take their own life. He has enough respect to quietly usher Corrin and the rest of the army away, through the forest, leaving nothing but a pained silence.

“Odin. We have to take him back. He needs a proper burial…” Niles sighs, putting away his shuriken as he kneels next to him. “I don’t know how we’re going to explain this…”

The sword lodged in Leo’s stomach feels like enough explanation, but that doesn’t soften the blow of suicide. 

“W-What are the others going to even say? They’re going to blame us for not being good retainers… we should’ve stopped him, I should’ve taken his sword away, I…” Death is something familiar to Odin. He remembers ash and smoke clouding his senses as screams of horrors would fill his ears. He remembers the day his parents didn’t come home. He remembers the day his friends wept for their own lost parents, as Ylisse crumbled and fell under Grima. He escaped from that madness once, and to fall right back into it rips his heart in two.

“With that logic, I should’ve shot the sword out of his hand. This isn’t our fault. His family will see that.” Niles keeps his answers succinct, trying not to give way into his own feelings. It’s more for Odin than himself - he can mourn on his own watch. He’s seen his own fair share of death as well. It’s different this time, of course, given how strongly he cares. He’s almost amused at how letting himself soften for these two would come back to haunt him. Had he not gotten so attached… 

He sighs, looking sadly at Leo as he takes him from Odin’s arms. He hangs limply, and Niles wonders if Leo was always this pale. 

It’s a heavy burden to have to be the bearer of bad news. 

\------

When Niles and Odin return, Xander doesn’t want to believe the sight before his eyes. Leo looks so small and fragile in Niles’s hold, sword protruding from his stomach, blood staining his once pristine outfit. It’s a fate he’s seen before in his visions, and he has prayed many times over it was never come true.

Yet, fate is cruel, and his little brother would never open his eyes ever again. 

No one wants to speak up first. There’s a painful silence hanging over all of them, and even Camilla doesn’t make any noise. She just sadly stares at Leo, at the sword, and thinks of how much Corrin and Nohr disgust her. Elise clings to Xander’s arm, eyes wide with an emotion that Niles can’t even discern. It’s a mix of horror, anguish, anger. A refusal to accept what’s in front of her.

“He fought bravely for Hoshido. Our forces did what they could. ...He didn’t accept wanting to surrender,” Niles chooses his words as carefully as he can, “...I’m sorry. We couldn’t stop it. It happened so fast.”

“...It’s not your fault. You brought his body back. That alone is enough respect for his honor.” Xander’s voice is eerily robotic -- no emotions to his words. He can save those for when he’s alone, when nobody’s around to see the crown prince of Hoshido break down in tears. 

“Did Corrin kill him? Did Corrin take his sword and do this?” It’s obvious Camilla doesn’t want to accept what happened. 

“...I’m sorry, Lady Camilla. I wish that were the truth of the situation. That would hurt less.” Niles looks anywhere else but at her. “He deemed himself unworthy of coming home.”

“No… I… Leo wouldn’t do that! Leo knew how much we loved him! Leo would never take his own life!” Camilla slams the hilt of her spear on the ground in anger. 

“He didn’t think that way. Again, I cannot apologize enough. As his retainer, I’ve failed him. I’ve failed the royal family, and all of Hoshido. I… I’m not worthy to hold my liege. Please give him the burial he deserves.” Niles holds out Leo’s body, wanting either Camilla or Xander to take it. Not only is Leo’s blood on his body, it’s getting harder and harder to keep himself composed. He can feel his arms shake, and is granted relief when Xander gently scoops up Leo’s body in his arms.

He’s so very pale, and the lightness of his body weighs on Xander terribly. It’s a feeling he’ll never forget. What a terrible brother, he feels like, to have never once pulled Leo aside to talk. Even if he wasn’t fully aware of how Leo felt, Xander just can’t excuse it. Leo hadn’t approached him for a reason. Was it lack of trust? Was he not approachable? 

There’s so many questions he has, and they’ll never be answered. All he can do is stare at Leo’s body in his arms, and hear Camilla and Elise’s cries echo throughout the castle.

“Odin. Niles. You’re dismissed. Please get some rest.” Xander finally speaks up again. It’s clear Odin’s exhausted himself from crying, and Niles is barely holding himself together. He knows they should be there when Leo is buried, but he just doesn’t want to put them through such a thing. Watching Leo take his own life was a burden enough. They don’t need to see him put into the ground.

There’s no words of protest from either of them, and Niles offers his arm out to Odin. He looks ready to collapse at moment’s notice, and all Niles can do is lend some support. There’s not much else he can do, for him or the remaining siblings.

When the two are in an empty hall of the castle, Odin sinks against the wall. His legs don’t want to work anymore, he’s exhausted, and he just wants it all to stop. He wishes this were all a terrible nightmare, and that Leo would wake up. That he isn’t going to be buried. That Niles’s clothes aren’t sticky with blood. That this is just all a cruel, cruel joke, and things were actually okay. 

Niles quietly sits next to him, and this time, he holds Odin’s hand in his own. It’s so unlike him, to offer gentle comfort. Yet he’s let his heart soften for Odin, and for Leo, and wants to convey that through this gesture. He gives Odin’s hand a light squeeze, gently stroking his thumb along the inside of his palm. Odin looks down at their connected hands, and intertwines their fingers as tears threaten his eyes once more. He wishes he could convey more how much he truly appreciates the gesture, but the words just can’t find him.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know I’m not the best person about this, but I figured it’s better than nothing.” Niles realizes he really should be giving this speech to himself. Odin wears his heart on his sleeve, even if it’s under a guise of fanciful words. He rather let no one see what’s under his carefully crafted mask. Even if he cares about Odin, it’s just not something he wants to display. 

“...What are we going to do without him?” Odin finally speaks, and his voice is but a quiet whisper. 

“We fight for Hoshido in his memory. We make sure his honor isn’t dirtied.” Most of all, Niles wants Corrin to feel the pain they’re going through. How dare they’re able to walk all over their country, and then talk about how all they want is peace and no bloodshed. How dare they don’t have to watch a family fall apart in such a horrific way. 

“I-I know, but… everyone’s hurt. I know everyone’s gonna keep fighting, but when the war is over, that won’t change anything. We’re going to have to live the rest our lives without him… the castle’s not ever gonna feel the same. It’ll feel empty.” Odin tries to imagine Castle Ylisse without Chrom or Robin, or even Frederick. The halls would feel muted and gray, stripped of color, utterly hollow. He imagines Shirasagi would feel quite the same without Leo. He doesn’t want to imagine anyone else gone, because he doesn’t want to imagine how much more it’s going to hurt.

“It’s always going to hurt, y’know. When you lose someone you care about, that just doesn’t go away. All you can do is learn to cope.” Niles is no stranger to losing people. He’s had several goodbyes, some more painful than others. 

“...I know. I know how much it hurts, and I just didn’t want to experience it again.” Odin sighs sadly, leaning against him. “I’m so tired of war, Niles.”

Niles gives a heavy sigh of his own, staring up at the ceiling. “Aren’t we all.”

\-------

It’s not a formal funeral procession, despite the fact Leo deserves one. There isn’t time to lie his body in a coffin and sink it into the earth. The enemy is approaching, and if they spend too much time mourning, they’ll lie among him. Xander manages to dig the best grave he can, one at least Leo can rest in. The sword, formerly plunged into his body, sits on the ground next to the grave. It’s the least Xander can do, burying his sword near him. 

“...Lower his body. I imagine we don’t have a lot of time until the Nohrian army arrives.” Xander’s eyes don’t leave the hole in the ground. He’s seen it in his visions, and had hoped it was just a warning - something that they could have avoided. His visions were false before. Why did this one have to come true? What made this fate certain?

“I hope his soul rests easy,” Camilla whispers as she kneels down, placing Leo into his grave. “If only the gods didn’t take him so early…”

Xander doesn’t know what to think of the gods now. He’s always thanked them for their insights, for granting him powers to see what others cannot. As harsh as some of the visions are, it at least let Xander know what lies ahead. He knew where to proceed. And now, these so-called gods foretold the death of this brother, and nothing he could’ve done would stray this path. If the gods were as merciful and kind as others say, why didn’t they show him a way to save Leo’s life? Why did they rip him from his family?

It just doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t feel right. Something tells Xander that his visions should have told him how to save Leo. That thought sits heavily in his mind as Elise cries over the fact she’ll never see Leo open his eyes again. 

“I-it’s so unfair! What did Leo ever do?! Why did Corrin make him do this?!” Elise stomps the ground with her feet. “If Corrin didn’t hurt him, Leo wouldn’t have… h-he wouldn’t have…”

She can’t spit out the word, and just cries harder as Camilla kneels down to hug her tightly, stroking her hair in a comforting motion. Elise turns away as Xander manages to wrap his fingers around the hilt of the shovel, and slowly places dirt over Leo’s body.

Xander feels sick to his stomach, and numbness takes over his body. There’s a part of him that still can’t believe he has to do this. It has to be a nightmare. It doesn’t feel real; he feels so detached from reality. All he can do is focus on the motion of his arms, watching the dirt pour over Leo’s corpse. The only sound he can hear is the scraping of metal against earth. It’s loud enough to drown out Elise’s crying. It’s akin to nails on chalkboard, and it sends shivers down Xander’s spine.

How long has he been shoveling dirt, he wonders? It feels like years pass until he can’t see Leo’s body anymore, and even longer until he’s completely buried. He smooths out the dirt with the shovel before letting it hit the ground. He picks up Leo’s sword, and the blade looks duller than he remembers. Xander sinks the blade partially in the earth, acting as a temporary grave stone for Leo. When they have the time, he’ll make the finest grave Hoshido’s ever seen.

He clasps his hands together, and offers a silent prayer for Leo to be happy in the afterlife. Camilla and Elise join him, and once their prayers are finished, they notice Xander isn’t budging.

“Xander? Are you alright, dear?” Camilla gently touches his shoulder. 

“You and Elise should return to the castle. I’m sure Corrin will come sooner or later, and we need to be well-defended,” he doesn’t bother to look up, “I just… need some time to think. I’ll join you two shortly.”

“Are you sure you want to be alone? You look so sad…” Elise notices how tightly clasped his hands are. 

“I will be fine, Elise. I promise. I just need to collect my thoughts.” Xander doesn’t want to break in front of Camilla or Elise. He can’t. There’s an image he has to uphold, as a prince and as a brother. And the crown prince of Hoshido does not want to weep openly in front of his siblings. 

Elise wants to protest, but Camilla takes her hand and gently leads her away. As they walk back to the castle, Elise turns her head to look at Xander’s form, as his shoulders begin to sink and his hands fall to the dirt under him. There’s not anything she can hear, but she can assume Xander’s beginning to cry.

As their footsteps fade, tears blur his vision and a cry escapes his throat. He feels like a horrible failure. Like Leo’s death really is his fault. He keeps telling himself he could’ve done something different, anything to make Leo not end up buried beneath the dirt. Yet no solutions come to mind, and the bitter taste of defeat stains his tongue. 

He’s failed his kingdom, letting invaders come in and destroy its land. He’s failed as a prince, unable to protect the peace. 

Most of all, and most importantly, he’s failed as a brother.


End file.
